How we chose
We began with twenty-two candidates found through map listings, directories and business websites, and scored those that met our basic checks: each business is who it says it is, is trading today and can be reached, and holds anything the law requires for its services. Twelve met all three and the ten highest scores make the table. What customers say counts most toward the score — the star rating itself, since beyond a small handful of reviews volume adds nothing — then qualifications, then whether the firm has traded for two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. Boarding licences sit with the council rather than any single trade register [1]. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Match the service to the animal first. A walker covers midday walks while you work; drop-in visits suit cats and small pets that do best at home; home boarding suits dogs that pine in kennels; and kennels or a cattery suit longer stays and multi-pet houses. Day care sits between walking and boarding for long days out. Say which animal, what dates and what your pet is like with strangers and other dogs in your first message.
Boarding needs a licence, walking does not. Anyone boarding cats or dogs — in kennels, in their own home, or running day care — must hold an animal activity licence from Telford and Wrekin Council under national licensing rules, with a star rating of one to five [1] [2]. Ask for the licence number and the star rating, then confirm both with the council's licensing team before you book [1]. A home boarder who cannot give you a number is one to walk away from.
Keys change everything, so check the person holding them. Pet sitters are usually self-employed, which means they request their own criminal-record check and show you the certificate — ask to see it and check its date, since a check never expires on paper but only covers the day it ran [3]. Ask for the public liability insurance certificate and the insurer's name, plus any first-aid training, in the same message [4]. NarpsUK runs a voluntary register of sitters and walkers with a postcode search, and asks its members to hold insurance and a current criminal-record check — a membership is a useful extra, not a legal badge [4].
If a pet taxi is part of the deal, check the van too. Anyone carrying animals over longer distances as part of paid work needs a transporter authorisation, with two tiers for shorter and longer journeys, and must carry a copy to show on request [5]. Ask which tier the driver holds and to see the paper before your pet travels [5]. For ordinary walks and visits around Telford this does not apply, but a sitter driving dogs to distant fields should still be able to describe how each dog travels secured.
Get two or three quotes in writing on the same scope so you compare like with like. Each quote should name the dates and times, whether walks are solo or group and how many dogs go out together, how many animals are covered, mileage charges, extras such as medication or a second visit, bank-holiday terms, and the total. One Telford walker publishes all of this on its site; most firms here publish none of it, which makes the written quote your only protection.
Meet before you book, then file the paperwork. A first meeting at your home shows you how the sitter handles your pet and lets them note feed times, vet details, emergency contacts and behaviour quirks — expect a booking form covering all of it [4]. Kennels will want vaccination proof before entry, so have the certificate ready. At the end you should hold the quote, the booking terms or service contract, the sitter's licence number where one applies, and the invoice — keep them with your pet's records where you can find them for the next trip.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, the only published Telford figures in this round are AnimaLia's: solo walks from twelve pounds fifty for half an hour to seventeen pounds fifty for the hour, group walks at twelve pounds fifty to fifteen pounds, field play sessions at twenty pounds, five pounds per extra dog from the same house, a two pounds fifty mileage charge beyond five miles, and a ten-pound first meeting discounted off the first invoice. These come from the firm's own site, checked this September [6].
No other firm in the table publishes rates, so home boarding, day care, drop-in visits and house sitting are all quote-only across the rest of Telford. Treat any figure quoted on a social page as a starting question rather than a price, and always ask what exactly it covers before you compare it with another.
What moves the price is mostly time and attention: solo walks cost more than group ones, longer walks more than short ones, and extra dogs, mileage, medication and bank-holiday cover all add on. Overnight and multi-day care should spell out what each twenty-four hours includes — feeds, walks, medication — so two quotes for the same dates can be compared fairly.
Ask whether VAT is included, since small sitters usually sit below the ninety-thousand-pound registration threshold and quote without it [7]. Then get the whole scope in writing before you hand over keys or pay a deposit: dates, services, extras, the total, and what happens if you cancel or come home early.
Red flags
Boards dogs in their own home but cannot give you a council licence number to confirm with Telford and Wrekin [1].
Walks your dog with no stated insurance and will not name an insurer when asked [4].
Quotes for boarding without asking for vaccination proof, vet details or an emergency contact.
Offers group walks but will not say how many dogs go out together or whether yours mixes with strangers' dogs.
Holds keys to your home but shows no criminal-record check and will not say when one was last run [3].
Gives a single price with no breakdown of walks, extras, mileage or bank-holiday terms.
Will not put dates, services and the total in writing before you hand over keys or pay a deposit [4].
Refuses a first meeting at your home before the booking starts.
The bottom line
For most Telford homes, start with AnimaLia: priced walks you can check before you call, trained cover behind the name, and services from sitting to pet taxi. If you would rather board in a sitter's home, Kerrina's Canine Care and Haydens Home Dog Boarding both put their licence numbers on the page.
Match the firm to the job: Newport Pet Services for tracked walks, Blossom's for behaviour-aware care, Cottage for kennels or a cattery, and The Cat's Pyjamas for cats. Then compare two or three cards on this page, get the quote in writing on the same scope, and meet the sitter before the first booking.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.